The present application is related to surgical instruments and, more specifically but not exclusively, to robotic surgery instruments and methods for their use. Specifically, the present application relates to the provision of a plurality of specially configured tool heads for use with a control arm, which may be a robotic arm of a robotic surgical instrument, having an elongated shaft and preferably an articulatable “wrist” or articulation joint located at its distal or working end.
The tool heads disclosed and described herein are particularly, but not exclusively, suited for use in cardiac ablation procedures for the treatment of atrial fibrillation using electro-surgical RF energy, or some other energy, as shown and described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,546,935, which is incorporated herein by reference.
During the performance of cardiac ablation procedures, various instruments may be used to create transmural lines of ablation in tissue, such as an ablation clamp having opposed jaw members having opposed electrodes thereon, an ablation “pen” and a surgical dissector. Such instruments are shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 7,113,831 and U.S. Published Application 2006/0084974 (showing an ablation clamp with opposed jaw members), U.S. Published Applications 2006/0161147 and 2006/0161149 (both showing an ablation pen), and U.S. Published Application 2005/0203561 (showing a lighted dissector), all of which are incorporated herein by reference. In another procedure, a clip may be applied externally to the left atrial appendage (LAA) to reduce the risks of clot generation associated with the LAA. Such a clip and clip applicator are shown in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/033,935, filed Feb. 20, 2008, which is also incorporated herein by reference. Each of the aforementioned devices or tools is typically carried on its own dedicated hand piece and a shaft, with the operating head at the distal end thereof.